Whitehill Colliery

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Aitken, William, 21 Feb 1907, aged 26, Loco. Guard, Deceased stood with the coupling-pole in his hand to couple on some loaded waggons to a train, which the locomotive was pushing in front, and just as the train approached he appeared to suddenly change his mind and stepped between, and was crushed by the buffers

Bain, David, 22 Nov 1899, aged 19, Miner, Deceased was taking some coal off a longwall face, when the sandstone roof suddenly fell in over an area 25 ft. 0 in. by 4 ft. 6 ins., swinging out some props as it fell. A portion of it fell upon deceased, fracturing his collarbone and suffocating him. A fellow workman narrowly escaped with his life

Brown, James, 06 Jul 1897, aged 42, Miner, Deceased and another were driving a 12-feet place through a stoop. They had taken out the coal for a distance of about 5 feet in advance of the lip of the brushing, under which they had set two props. In taking down their last cut of coal, they had relieved a lype. Deceased was filling some coal into a tub, when a quantity of blaes fell upon him, crushing him so severely that he died on the following day

Cairns, David, 05 Oct 1892, aged 59, Fireman, Leg bruised by fall of stone. Died from apoplexy ; stated by doctor to have no connection with the injury

Cairns, Robert, 14 Jul 1914, aged 44, Miner, He was at work making a hole for a strap at the roadhead of a longwall face in a seam 5 ft. thick, when the two carrying bars and the polling wood above them, were swung out by a fall of blaes roof, which killed him instantly. Stringers to bind the carrying bars together would probably have prevented the swinging of the timber

Calvin, David, 07 Sep 1934, sustained severe head injuries while uncoupling hutches [date of report]

Collins, William, 06 Feb 1914, aged 34, Oversman, He was superintending the widening of a road and, in order to remove a girder, he allowed in contravention of Section 2 (a) of the Explosives in Coal Mines Order, two cartridges of gelignite to be placed on it as a "lay on" shot. When the gelignite exploded a small piece of the girder was blown off, and it struck deceased on the hip as he was sitting on the roadway 20 yards away. As well as being to blame for allowing the shot to be fired at all he neglected to take proper shelter

Cossar, John, 28 Apr 1913, aged 35, Miner, He was commencing to work out some old stoops, in the Great Seam along an old haulage road, by the longwall method, when a large stone fell from a break as the coal was removed and killed him

Coventry, David, 16 Apr 1853, Fall of roof

Cunningham, Archibald, 05 May 1899, aged 53, Attending Coal cutter, Deceased was in front of a coal cutting machine, regulating its forward motion, when a piece of coal, 4 ft. in length, burst off the longwall face, swinging out a rance, and falling upon him, causing injuries which terminated fatally two days afterwards

Dubie, D., 24 Oct 1868, aged 15, Pony driver, Run over by tubs

Goole, John, 13 Oct 1882, aged 34, Collier, Fall of roof. At face of stooping

Gray, Thomas, 09 Jan 1924, 1.0 p.m., 7th hour of shift, aged 52, Miner, The coal face had been stripped for about 4 yards on each side of the roadhead. Gray was employed as faceman in the lower side of the road. He had occasion to go to the roadhead for a wedge, and as he was returning along the face, a slab of coal, weighing 4 or 5 cwts., came away from a face plane at the part of the face which had been stripped. The slab of coal crushed him against a steel tree, causing injuries from which he died the following day. The fireman had passed through the place about 20 minutes before the accident and considered the face quite safe

Hannan, Thomas, 01 Feb 1875, aged 31, Sinker, A piece of stone fell out of the side of a sinking pit and struck him. The walling was 11 fathoms back ; they had made preparations for walling next day

Hogg, John, 21 Aug 1902, aged 47, Miner, Deceased was engaged making an airway through an old level which had fallen. He filled the debris into tubs, and widened the road by taking coal off one side. Underneath a huge stone lying on the pavement was some coal, and he went under to get the coal when the stone broke in two and fatally crushed him

Hughes, Michael, 28 Dec 1910, aged 50, Miner, When he was working at the face the coal suddenly burst off and overrode the sprags set to support it

Kerr, A., 18 May 1872, aged 40, Collier, Fall of coal

Kerr, William, 12 Jan 1857, Oversman, By coming in contact with cross-beams whilst ascending

Kitching, Richard, 22 Jun 1908, aged 46, Machineman, Deceased was in front of a coal cutting machine laying the rails on which it should travel, when the roof suddenly fell upon him

Lang, James, 30 Nov 1899, aged 15, Cranefooter, Deceased was hanger-on at the foot of a wheel brae, 60 fathoms in length, and having a gradient of 1 in 5. The road was double throughout, and the tubs were raised and lowered by an overhead endless rope passing round horizontal pulleys at top and bottom. The brake was attached to the bottom pulley and was under the charge of deceased. The tubs were run in sets of two, and were attached to the rope by a coupling chain coiled four times round the rope, and hooked back upon itself immediately behind the coils. The security of the attachment could only be tested when the load got on the incline, and therefore beyond the control of the drawer hanging it on. The attachment of two loaded tubs slipped on the rope, the tubs ran away and struck deceased, killing him instantly. He had only commenced to work in the mine on the previous day

Lawson, William, 09 Aug 1856, Collier, Being crushed betwixt cage and pithead framing

Leadbetter, John, 25 Jan 1898, aged 36, Miner, Deceased worked in a stooping place, and while engaged holing, he heard the roof "working" to fall, and before he got clear, he was buried beneath the fallen roof

Learie, John, 21 Aug 1902, aged 30, Miner, Deceased was working at the coal face, and his neighbour at the road-head heard the coal giving signs of falling, and shouted. In falling, the coal knocked out a prop, causing the roof to fall, and deceased, in trying to escape the falling coal, ran right under the falling roof. He succumbed to his injuries next day

Leslie, John, 22 Nov 1901, aged 17, Locomotive guard, While using a length of wire rope to move wagons on one line by means of the locomotive engine on a parallel line of rails, he was caught between the rope and the leading wagon and severely crushed

Loftus, Michael, 12 Jun 1899, aged 19, Drawer, Deceased was pushing an empty tub up a road rising 1 in 12, when he was run into by a descending loaded tub, said to have been double snibbled. The empty tub was driven back over him, causing injuries which resulted fatally five weeks afterwards. The view of the descending drawer was obstructed by a canvas screen. He shouted to warn any one who might be coming up, but deceased had apparently failed to hear him

Malloy, Edward, 23 Nov 1885, Collier, Fall of roof. At face; fall of "falling"

McLeonards, John, 25 Aug 1877, aged 41, Collier, Fall of roof. At face. Stoop and room

Neil, James, 12 Jan 1905, aged 53, Miner, Deceased had taken down coal, and was propping the roof, when it fell upon him

Pentland, David, 01 Sep 1890, 1.45 p.m., aged 40, Miner, Fall of stone; pick pierced head

Reid, Henry, 23 Sep 1867, aged 34, Sinker, Premature explosion of gunpowder while "stemming"

Sutherland, -, 18 Jan 1887, aged 67, Banksman, Run over by locomotive

Tait, John, 23 Dec 1882, (accident: 27 Oct 1882), aged 60, Roadsman, Fall of roof. On main road, stoop and room. Died 23rd Dec

Thomson, James, 24 Jan 1900, aged 49, Wagon repairer, Deceased was engaged repairing the buffer of a wagon, when another, which had been shunted into the same road, moved slowly and silently forward, and he was fatally crushed between them

Walker, John, 06 May 1906, Repairer, While proceeding from the shaft to his work he complained of feeling unwell and shortly afterwards expired. The child had wandered to the colliery sidings where shunting was going on, and was run over by the waggons [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a reportable accident]